High-potential relay.



H. W. CHENEY.

HIGH POTENTIAL RELAY.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 3, 1909.

Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

, UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT W. CHENEY, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO ALLIS-CHALMERSCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HIGH-POTENTIAL RELAY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT CHENEY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State ofVisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in High-Potential Relays, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactspecification.

This invention relates to relays such as are employed in connection withcircuits of high voltage for controlling low voltage circuits whichoperate large capacity switches located in the high voltage mains.

The object of the invention is a provision of a relay which is soarranged and constructed that the parts of high potential are spacedfrom and well insulated from the low voltage circuit or other metallicparts of the relay or surrounding apparatus, and, which is soconstructed that the relay may be adjusted so as to operate at differentcurrent values in the relay coil without any danger of injury to theoperator.

My invention may be briefly summarized as consisting in certain noveldetails of construction and combination and arrangements of parts whichwill be described in the specification and set forth in the appendedclaims.

Reference is had to the figures of the accompanying sheet of drawings,in which" Figure 1 is a side view of a relay constructed in accordancewith my invention, parts being broken away and in section; Fig. 2 is afront View of the same; Fig. 3 is a partial transverse Viewsubstantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 looking in the directionindicated by the arrow; and Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailed view of partof the core adjusting mechanism.

In the figures of the drawing wherein I have shown my invention embodiedin an overload relay, 10 represents the supporting base for the relaymechanism, this base being preferably made of wood or other insulatingmaterial and being secured to the wall or other supporting member 11 byshort angles 12. This supporting base 10, which will be preferablyarranged in a vertical position, has secured thereto, one verticallyover the other, two spaced insulators 13 and 1 1 which support an openhigh voltage relay coil 15 of the solenoid type, the axis of the coilbeing vertical. This coil 15 is not supported directly by theinsulators, but has Patented Apr. 16, 1912.

Serial No. 487,730.

its ends secured to two terminal or connector blocks or members 16 and17 formed of good conducting material, such as cast brass, these twoblocks being received in slots in the outer ends of the insulators 13and 14 respectively and being secured to the latter by straps 18 whichextend about the insulators and have their ends clamped to the ends ofthe blocks by means of transverse screws 19. These connector blocks 16and 17 have sockets which receive the ends of the coil 15 and also theends of a high voltage main or conductor of which the coil 15 forms apart, and portions of which are shown at 20 and 20 respectively. Theends of the conductor and of the coil are secured in the sockets bymeans of a plurality of set screws 21. The portion of the upperconnector block 16 having the sockets is preferably located centrally ofthe insulator 13, but the portion of the lower connector block havingthe sockets is located at one side of the insulator 14, as shown clearlyin Figs. 2 and 3, so as not to interfere with the vertical movement ofthe plunger or core of the solenoid. This core, which is shown at 22, ispreferably in the form of a tube which is slotted to eliminate eddycurrents and which is secured to an operating rod 23 extendingvertically downward a considerable distance below the coil 15 as will beexplained presently. When the core 22 is in its normal position, it issupported below, or at least partially below the coil 15, and is guidedin its movement by a ring 24 which is integral with the lower terminalor connector block 17 and is located below the coil 15 with its axiscoincident with the axis of the latter.

At 25 is shown a low voltage switch, or the switch which controls thelow voltage circuit and which is operated by the solenoid. This switchis located below the solenoid and a considerable distance therefrom, thedistance being sufficient in any case to insure proper insulation fromthe coil and the high potential conductor so as to prevent communicationof an are or of the establishment of a circuit between the high and lowvoltage conductors. The switch 25 which is supported on upper horizontalarms 25 of a bracket 26 secured to the lower end of the base 10, is inthis case designed to be closed when the core 22 is drawn upwardly, orwhen the current in the solenoid rises to a predetermined value, andincludes a pair of stationary contacts 27 and 27 supported by aninsulating base 28 and connected respectively to the ends or terminalsof the low voltage conductors 29 and 30, and includes also a movablebridging contact 31, the three contacts being preferably inclosed withina cylindrical casing 32. The movable bridging contact 31 is secured to aplunger 33 which extends downward through the insulating base 28 and isconnected by a link 34 to the inner end of a lever 35 which is pivotedbetween arms 36 extending horizontally from the lower end of the bracket26.

The outer end of the lever 35 is operatively connected to the insulatingrod 23, and is preferably connected in a manner such that the rod 23 andcore 22 may be adjusted so that the core will be drawn upwardly and thelow voltage switch 25 closed at different current values in the solenoidcoil 15. In this case this is accomplished in the following manner:Secured to the lower end of the insulating rod is a boXlil e member 37to which is swiveled a threaded rod 38 on which is mounted a nut 39having a swivel connection with the outer end of lever 35 previouslyreferred to. The rod 38 has secured to its upper end a head 40 which mayturn freely between the top and bottom of the member 37, and whichtherefore permits the rod 38 to turn freely relative to the rod 23. Atthe lower end of the rod 38 is a knob 41 which is preferably formed ofinsulating material. It will be seen that when the rod 38 is turned byturning the handle or knob 41, rod 38, rod 23, and core 22 will be moveddownwardly or upwardly relative to the nut 39 and relative to the coil15 so that an adjustment of normal position of the core can be readilyeffected. The rod 38 may be held in any adjusted position by means of asmall spring-pressed pin or plunger 43 which is mounted in a hollow plug44 extending through the side of the member 37, and the inner end ofwhich is adapted to engage in any one of a series of recesses ordepressions in the head 40.

The nut 39 and the member 37 in this case are provided with twocooperating members of an indicating or calibrating device, the nut 39having an upwardly extending scale plate 45 which is provided on itsface with suitable graduations, and the member 37 having an indicator 46which extends in this case through a slot 47 in the scale plate 45. Thegraduations of the scale plate 45 will, of course, be provided withsuitable characters which will indicate the values of the current in thecoil necessary to operate the low voltage switch when the core is indifferent adjusted positions.

In order that the relay may be operated and the switch 25 closed with asmall expenditure of energy in the solenoid, the weight of the partswhich move upwardly when the relay is operated is partly counterbalancedby means of a counter-balancing weight 48. If desired also to increasethe density of the flux in the coil 15, a stationary core such as a plug49 may be inserted in the upper part of the coil. This plug will beinsulated from the coil by a collar 50 of insulating material.

It will be seen from the above described construction that because ofthe manner of supporting the high voltage coil all grounding or leakageof current from the coil or from the conductors connected to the coil isprevented, and because of the arrangement and construction of theoperating parts between the solenoid and the low voltage switch, thelatter may be located any dis tance below the former so that regardlessof the difference of potential between the coil and-the switch, an ampleinsulating space may be provided to avoid any danger of a circuit beingestablished between the high and low voltage conductors.

- I do not desire to be confined to the exact details shown anddescribed, but aim in my claims to cover all modifications which do notinvolve a departure from the spirit and scope of my invention.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a relay, a pair of insulators, a pair of connectors carriedthereby, a high voltage coil secured to said connectors, a movable corefor said coil, one of said connectors having a guide for said core, alow voltage switch, and means for operating said switch by a movement ofsaid core.

2. In a relay, a pair of insulators, a pair of connectors carriedthereby, a high volt age coil having its ends secured to saidconnectors, a movable core for said coil, the lower connector having aguide for said core, a low voltage switch below said coil, and meansincluding a member associated with said core for operating said switchby a movement of said core.

3. In combination, a pair of insulators, terminal members secured tosaid insulators, one of said terminal members having a guide portion, ahigh voltage coil having its ends secured to said terminal members, acore for said coil, said core being guided by the guide portion of saidterminal member, a low voltage switch located below the coil at adistance therefrom sufficient to insulate the high voltage coil from theswitch, and means for operating said switch by a movement of the corecomprising a rod extending downwardly from the core and operativelyconnected to the switch.

4. In combination, an insulating base, a pair of insulators securedthereto, connector blocks secured to the ends of the insulators,

an open high voltage coil having its ends secured to said connectorblocks respectively, a core for said coil, one of said connector blockshaving a guide for said core, a switch supported by said base at adistance from the coil sullicient to prevent current leakage between thecoil and switch, and means for operating said switch by a movement ofsaid core comprising a rod extending downwardly from the core andoperatively connected to the switch.

In combination, terminal connector blocks, one of which has a guidingportion, a high voltage coil secured to said blocks, a core for saidcoil, said core being guided by said guiding portion in one of saidblocks, a low voltage switch, and an operating mechanism between saidcore and said switch.

6. In a relay, a pair of insulators arranged one vertically over theother, a pair of connectors carried by said insulators, a high voltagecoil having its ends secured to said connectors, a vertically movablecore for the coil, the lower connector having a guide for the core, alow voltage switch below said coil, and means for operating said switchby a movement of said core.

7. In combination, an insulating base, a

pair of insulators supported by said base i one above the other,connectors secured to the outer ends of the insulators, a high voltageopen solenoid coil having its ends secured to and supported by saidconnectors, a vertically movable core, the lower connector having aguide for the core, a low voltage switch secured to said base at adistance below said coil suflicient to insure in sulation space betweenthe coil and the switch, a pivoted lever connected to the switch, and aninsulating .rod extending downwardly from the core and operativelyconnected to the lever.

8. In a relay, insulators, connectors carried by said insulators, a coilsecured to said connectors, a core movable in said coil and the normalposition of which may be adjustable, one of said connectors having aguide for said core, a low voltage switch, and means associated wit-hsaid core for operating said switch.

Milwaukee, Wis, March 31, 1909.

In testimony whereof I al'liX my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

HERBERT CHENEY.

Witnesses H. C. CAsE, CHAs. L. BrnoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

